Reusable food package with integral adjustable closure



Nov. 15, 1966 A. E. COLATO 3,285,495

REUSABLE FOOD PACKAGE WITH INTEGRAL ADJUSTABLE CLOSURE Filed Aug. 18, 1965 Fro. 1

p I INVENTOR. ALBERT E. com r0 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,285,495 REUSABLE FOOD PACKAGE WITH INTEGRAL ADJUSTABLE CLOSURE Albert E. Colato, Tujunga, Califi, assignor to Plastics, Inc., St. Paul, Minn.

Filed Aug. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 480,592 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-43) The invention relates broadly to containers and more particularly to a package device which is reusable as a container and which holds a variable amount of irregular shaped material such as pieces of food of many kinds including fried chicken, french fries, and the like.

In package devices necessitating rigid walls there is no latitude as to the content of the device beyond the fixed confines of the walls and cover, and with irregular shaped materials such as pieces of fried chicken and the like there are substantial void areas in such types of package devices when the same are filled. This is due to the fact that the irregular shaped material cannot be compacted into the rigid package device. A larger package is not the answer, for it simply brings more void areas.

It is an object of the invention to provide a package including a receptacle portion having a substantially rigid bottom and lateral walls which support a thin flexible tubular portion extending from the upper marginal edge of the receptacle which is gathered at its upper edge to form an adjustable closure allowing the adjustable containment of material exceeding the upper confines of the receptacle portion.

It is a further object to provide a package device having substantially rigid receptacle portion and a flexible tubular closure portion extending upwardly from the receptacle, the closure portion being adapted to be tucked into the receptacle thereby allowing nesting of one package device in the other although the closure remains on the receptacle portion of each package device. Upon separating the package devices from a nesting position the closure portion is pulled from the receptacle portion for use as a closure. The closure portion may be removed from the receptacle portion and the receptacle may be used as a drinking glass or the like by physically separating the connection thereof or by the use of water soluble adhesive.

It is a still further object to provide a package device with which the closure remains in place while the package is filled.

It is an additional object of the invention to construct the closure portion of a water soluble flexible material whereby the same may be dissolved thereby leaving the receptacle portion for reuse.

It will not be here attempted to set forth and indicate all of the various objects and advantages incident to the invention, but other objects and advantages will be referred to in or else will become apparent from that which follows.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, showing by way of example a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

In the drawings forming part of this application:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the package with the closure portion in open extended position.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of that illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the package in closed position with material illustrated as packaged within the same.

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FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the package with the closure portion in a position extended into the re ceptacle portion. I

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view through two of the devices in nesting condition.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the package A includes the substantially rigid receptacle portion 10 formed of the bottom 12 and the upwardly flaring wall structure 14 with the top thereof being open and having a marginal portion encircling the open end. The receptacle portion 10 is formed of clear plastic and has secured to the marginal portion thereof the tubular closure portion 16. The tubular closure portion 16 has a substantially constant diameter with upper and lower marginal portions, and the lower marginal portion is of a dimension to cause the closure portion to fit about the marginal portion of the receptacle portion 10.

The tubular closure portion 16 is made of a thin clear plastic material with a thickness substantially between 1 mil and 4 mils which has been found to be satisfactory. The lower marginal edge of the closure portion 16 may be heat sealed or adhesively attached to the marginal portion of the receptacle portion 10, and as a result the same may be removed from the receptacle portion whereby the receptacle portion may be used as a separate device. The closure portion 16 may also be made of a water soluble material such as polyvinyl alcohol or the like so that the same may be easily dispensed with. Further the closure member 16 may be attached to the receptacle by means of a water soluble adhesive thereby allowing easy removal whereby the receptacle portion 10 may be reused as a drinking glass or the like.

With the closure member 16 secured to the receptacle portion 10, the closure and receptacle portion are one integral package piece. The tubular portion 16 not only provides a closure member but in extended position provides the mouth 17 which allows easy insertion of material therethrough into the receptacle portion 10. In other words, the closure 16 remains on the receptacle portion while the receptacle portion is filled.

With the closure member 16 being tubular and of thin material the same may be manipulated and forced downwardly into the receptacle 10 and caused to attain the form substantially that of the inside of the receptacle whereby one package A may be nested in another as illustrated in particular in FIGURE 6.

With the closure member 16 is the form of a sleeve, material may be easily inserted through the closure into the receptacle 10 and the material or extended portions thereof placed in the receptacle may exceed the dimension of the receptacle portion and extend above the same. The closure portion 16 is then gathered together about the material in the package and secured by staples 18, a tie string, a rubber band or the like which are not shown.

The closure 16 is referred to as adjustable, for it can be made to close about material held in the receptacle 10 at various heights above the upper limit of the receptacle as illustrated in FIGURE 4. In addition, the closure portion 16 may be closed and secured so that it closes off the receptacle 10 when the same is not completely full of material. With the closure member 16 of clear transparent material the contents of the package A may be easily viewed. In addition, the receptacle 10 may be made of transparent material to allow viewing of the contents.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as'new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

In a package having a rigid non-collapsible receptacle portion provided with a bottom and an upwardly flaringlateral wall structure integral therewith, said receptacle portion being open at the top and the wall structure having a marginal portion encircling the open end, the combination of,

(c) an adhesive detachably securing the lower marginal portion of said closure portion to said marginal portion of the receptacle portion to allow removal of the closure portion and allow separate use of the receptacle portion as a receptacle,

' '(d) means for closing the upper end of said closure portion to enclose a volumeof the material packaged greater than the volume. of the receptacle portion,

(c) said closure portion being flexible and of a thickness substantially from one mil to four mils to allow the closure to-be confined within the interior of the receptacle and permit nesting of the packages or to be disposed outwardly therefrom to form an adjustable closable extension of said receptacle portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 719,819 2/1903 Leigh '2l7-53 1,124,747 1/1915 Karr 52.5 2,673,805 3/1954 Colman 99-l71 3,022,605 2/ 1962 Reynolds n 47-58 FOREIGN PATENTS 868,840 2/ 3 Germany.

392,331 5/ 1933 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

W. T. DIXSON, Assistant Examiner. 

